Sports

NHL Must Treat the Disease, Not Just the Symptom – Sports Illustrated

Published

3 years ago

March 24, 2021

We should all remember what happened in Nashville Tuesday night the next time NHL commissioner Gary Bettman insists that the on-ice officials employed by his league are the best in the world. Because if this is what the best in the world has to offer, the league should be very concerned.

The NHL, of course, did what it had to do when it came to the Tim Peel situation. It simply could not allow an official who had been caught imposing himself on a game to ever step on the ice again. Full stop. And in that sense, it dealt with Peel harshly. The 53-year-old Peel was scheduled to retire after this season, with his final game set for April 24 according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. To not have the opportunity to leave the game on his own terms is certainly a heavy price for Peel to pay.

But on the other hand, the NHL, as is often the case, gets off extremely lucky here. Here it was, with a respected veteran official being caught on a hot mic saying, “It wasn’t much, but I wanted to get a f—in’ penalty against Nashville early in the…” before his mic was cut off. The NHL immediately said it was investigated, then came to a determination and sentence in a matter of hours. In the league’s statement on the matter, NHL director of hockey operations Colin Campbell said, “Nothing is more important that insuring the integrity of our game.”

The statement was interesting on a couple of fronts. First, why wasn’t the league commissioner making it? Second, it never actually said Peel had been fired, simply that he would, “no longer be working NHL games now or in the future.” And in that respect, it’s all pretty convenient, isn’t it? The way it worked out, the league addresses the isolated incident without having to do anything about, or even be accountable for, what is perceived to be a much wider problem. And in that respect, it got extremely lucky.

By dealing with it this way, we could be led to believe that Tim Peel, who has been officiating since 1999 and has worked more than 1,300 regular-season games, 90 playoff contests and the Sochi Olympics, had a momentary and unfortunate lapse in judgment one month before his career as an NHL referee was about to end. Meanwhile, we’ve been conditioned to expect phantom calls and non-calls from officials for years. We’ve come to accept that something that is a penalty in October is not in May. And we’ve watched for years as referees have stood 10 feet from a defenseman who is repeatedly crosschecking an opponent in the back with impunity, only to see that same official call a penalty later in the game for tapping an opponent with his stick.

“I hope (even-up calls are) not something that goes on with more officials,” Nashville Predators center Matt Duchene told a local radio station Wednesday morning, “but, I mean, there’s definitely nights where you’re skeptical of it, for sure.”

By relieving Peel of his duties without firing him, the league is spared the headache of having to overhaul its approach to officiating, which is exactly what is needed here. The NHL vowed immediately after the play that it was, “investigating this incident.” Well, that investigation should not end with a quick dismissal of a veteran referee. If the league truly wants to preserve its integrity, it needs to take a critical look at how it manages the games. A good number of fans and observers believe that Peel simply said out loud what every referee thinks privately. And until the league is held to account for its officials and the way it trains them, it’s going to remain that way.

What players, coaches and fans need to know is how exactly are these people being trained in game management? And what is actually being done, beyond words and platitudes, to ensure that the integrity of the game is being maintained? Prior to the 2019 Stanley Cup final, when asked about the quality of officiating in the playoffs, Bettman stood by his men in stripes. “The officials in this league are the best in the world, I believe,” Bettman said. “Not just in hockey, but in any sport.” Well, you can’t have it both ways. Either the officials can’t be near as good as Bettman says they are or they’re being directed to manage and call the game a certain way.

Just because the league escaped any meaningful consequences doesn’t mean it should be off the hook when it comes to officiating. “Imagine the scenario where (the Detroit Red Wings) score on the power play, we lose the game and we miss the playoffs by a point,” Duchene said in the radio interview. “I mean, imagine that scenario. That’s not out of the realm of possibility, right? I don’t think there’s a place in hockey for that. You’ve got to call the game.”

Even-up calls have been a part of hockey for as long as it has been played. We’ve all come to accept it, but we shouldn’t. There is no other sport where the standards for calling the rulebook vary more than they do in hockey. It doesn’t have to be that way. And we can only hope that the situation with Tim Peel starts this league on the road to realizing that.

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Red Wings sign Moritz Seider to 7-year deal worth nearly $60M

Published

5 hours ago

September 19, 2024

Anne Joseph

DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Red Wings made another investment this week in a young standout, signing Moritz Seider to a seven-year contract worth nearly $60 million.

The Red Wings announced the move with the 23-year-old German defenseman on Thursday, three days after keeping 22-year-old forward Lucas Raymond with a $64.6 million, eight-year deal.

Detroit drafted Seider with the No. 6 pick overall eight years ago and he has proven to be a great pick. He has 134 career points, the most by a defenseman drafted in 2019.

He was the NHL’s only player to have at least 200 hits and block 200-plus shots last season, when he scored a career-high nine goals and had 42 points for the second straight year.

Seider won the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie in 2022 after he had a career-high 50 points.

Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman is banking on Seider, whose contract will count $8.55 million annually against the cap, and Raymond to turn a rebuilding team into a winner.

Detroit has failed to make the playoffs in eight straight seasons, the longest postseason drought in franchise history.

The Red Wings, who won four Stanley Cups from 1997 to 2008, have been reeling since their run of 25 straight postseasons ended in 2016.

Detroit was 41-32-9 last season and finished with a winning record for the first time since its last playoff appearance.

Yzerman re-signed Patrick Kane last summer and signed some free agents, including Vladimir Tarasenko to a two-year contract worth $9.5 million after he helped the Florida Panthers hoist the Cup.

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Veterans Tyson Beukeboom, Karen Paquin lead Canada’s team at WXV rugby tournament

Published

5 hours ago

September 19, 2024

Anne Joseph

Veterans Tyson Beukeboom and Karen Paquin will lead Canada at the WXV 1 women’s rugby tournament starting later this month in the Vancouver area.

WXV 1 includes the top three teams from the Women’s Six Nations (England, France and Ireland) and the top three teams from the Pacific Four Series (Canada, New Zealand, and the United States).

Third-ranked Canada faces No. 4 France, No. 7 Ireland and No. 1 England in the elite division of the three-tiered WXV tournament that runs Sept. 29 to Oct. 12 in Vancouver and Langley, B.C. No. 2 New Zealand and the eighth-ranked U.S. make up the six-team WVX 1 field.

“Our preparation time was short but efficient. This will be a strong team,” Canada coach Kevin Rouet said in a statement. “All the players have worked very hard for the last couple of weeks to prepare for WXV and we are excited for these next three matches and for the chance to play on home soil here in Vancouver against the best rugby teams in the world.

“France, Ireland and England will each challenge us in different ways but it’s another opportunity to test ourselves and another step in our journey to the Rugby World Cup next year.”

Beukeboom serves as captain in the injury absence of Sophie de Goede. The 33-year-old from Uxbridge, Ont., earned her Canadian-record 68th international cap in Canada’s first-ever victory over New Zealand in May at the Pacific Four Series.

Twenty three of the 30 Canadian players selected for WXV 1 were part of that Pacific Four Series squad.

Rouet’s roster includes the uncapped Asia Hogan-Rochester, Caroline Crossley and Rori Wood.

Hogan-Rochester and Crossley were part of the Canadian team that won rugby sevens silver at the Paris Olympics, along with WXV teammates Fancy Bermudez, Olivia Apps, Alysha Corrigan and Taylor Perry. Wood is a veteran of five seasons at UBC.

The 37-year-old Paquin, who has 38 caps for Canada including the 2014 Rugby World Cup, returns to the team for the first time since the 2021 World Cup.

Canada opens the tournament Sept. 29 against France at B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver before facing Ireland on Oct. 5 at Willoughby Stadium at Langley Events Centre, and England on Oct. 12 at B.C. Place.

The second-tier WXV 2 and third-tier WXV 3 are slated to run Sept. 27 to Oct. 12, in South Africa and Dubai, respectively.

WXV 2 features Australia, Italy, Japan, Scotland, South Africa and Wales while WXV 3 is made up of Fiji, Hong Kong, Madagascar, the Netherlands, Samoa and Spain.

The tournament has 2025 World Cup qualification implications, although Canada, New Zealand and France, like host England, had already qualified by reaching the semifinals of the last tournament.

Ireland, South Africa, the U.S., Japan, Fiji and Brazil have also booked their ticket, with the final six berths going to the highest-finishing WXV teams who have not yet qualified through regional tournaments.

Canada’s Women’s Rugby Team WXV 1 Squad

Forwards

Alexandria Ellis, Ottawa, Stade Français Paris (France); Brittany Kassil, Guelph, Ont., Guelph Goats; Caroline Crossley, Victoria, Castaway Wanderers; Courtney Holtkamp, Rimbey, Alta., Red Deer Titans Rugby; DaLeaka Menin, Vulcan, Alta., Exeter Chiefs (England); Emily Tuttosi, Souris, Man., Exeter Chiefs (England); Fabiola Forteza, Quebec City, Stade Bordelais (France); Gabrielle Senft, Regina, Saracens (England); Gillian Boag, Calgary, Gloucester-Hartpury (England); Julia Omokhuale, Calgary, Leicester Tigers (England); Karen Paquin, Quebec City, Club de rugby de Quebec; Laetitia Royer, Loretteville, Que., ASM Romagnat (France); McKinley Hunt, King City, Ont., Saracens (England); Pamphinette Buisa, Gatineau, Que., Ottawa Irish; Rori Wood, Sooke, B.C., College Rifles RFC; Sara Cline, Edmonton, Leprechaun Tigers; Tyson Beukeboom, Uxbridge, Ont., Ealing Trailfinders (England);

Backs

Alexandra Tessier, Sainte-Clotilde-de-Horton, Que., Exeter Chiefs (England); Alysha Corrigan, Charlottetown, P.E.I., CRFC; Asia Hogan-Rochester, Toronto, Toronto Nomads; Claire Gallagher, Caledon, Ont., Leicester Tigers (England); Fancy Bermudez, Edmonton, Saracens (England); Julia Schell, Uxbridge, Ont., Ealing Trailfinders (England); Justine Pelletier, Rivière-du-Loup, Que, Stade Bordelais (France); Mahalia Robinson, Fulford, Que., Town of Mount Royal RFC; Olivia Apps, Lindsay, Ont., Lindsay RFC; Paige Farries, Red Deer, Alta., Saracens (England); Sara Kaljuvee, Ajax, Ont., Westshore RFC; Shoshanah Seumanutafa, White Rock, B.C., Counties Manukau (New Zealand); Taylor Perry, Oakville, Ont., Exeter Chiefs (England).

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2024.

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Vancouver Canucks star goalie Thatcher Demko working through rare muscle injury

Published

5 hours ago

September 19, 2024

Anne Joseph

PENTICTON, B.C. – Vancouver Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko says he’s been working his way back from a rare lower-body muscle injury since being sidelined in last season’s playoffs.

The 28-year-old all star says the rehabilitation process has been frustrating, but he has made good progress in recent weeks and is confident he’ll be able to return to playing.

He says he and his medical team have spent the last few months talking to specialists around the world, and have not found a single other hockey player who has dealt with the same injury.

Demko missed several weeks of the last season with a knee ailment and played just one game in Vancouver’s playoff run last spring before going down with the current injury.

He was not on the ice with his teammates as the Canucks started training camp in Penticton, B.C., on Thursday, but skated on his own before the sessions began.

Demko posted a 35-14-2 record with a .918 percentage, a 2.45 goals-against average and five shutouts for Vancouver last season.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.

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